


Mindset (On You)

by nationalnobody



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cashton, Fluff, M/M, like super fluffy ngl, they used to be childhood friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 17:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2236647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nationalnobody/pseuds/nationalnobody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Calum is a small town boy who falls in love with Ashton who's a famous singer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mindset (On You)

**Author's Note:**

> This turned out way longer than I'd originally planned it to be. oop.  
> Kinda based off 'Your Voice' by The Downtown Fiction

“Guess what?!”

Calum sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time that week. However like every other time, he decided to humour Luke. Really, there was no point in staying grumpy forever.

“What is it this time?” He grumbled, clearly unamused.

“Happy birthday!” The blonde exclaimed as he handed Calum a wrapped  _thing._ He wasn’t really sure what it was. Maybe Luke had decided to wrap a card..? Though that seemed pretty weird, even for Luke.

“Go on bro, open it.” Luke was swaying from side to side and it made Calum all the more nervous, he wasn’t really sure as to  _why_ he was nervous, he just was.

For Luke to seem so excited, just what on Earth was beneath the wrapping anyway? With a muttered ‘to hell with it’ he began to unwrap his gift.

“I know you’ve been really upset ever since you couldn’t get tickets to Ashton’s concert but I searched around and I was able to find someone willing to sell them. So cheer up Cal, you’re gonna be reunited real soon!” Luke rambled on while running his hand through his hair.

Calum didn’t even catch half of what he said because as soon as he saw the ticket, in all its undeniable _real_ glory, all coherent thought left him.

With a grin, he tackled Luke to the floor. “You’re amazing! Oh my fuck, you’re. You. You got a ticket.  _Ashton’s concert. You got a ticket to Ashton’s concert!_ ” Calum all but breathed out, his words a flurried mess. The love he was feeling for his friend at the moment was immense, literally next level.

Luke grinned, moving aside so he could get off the floor. “You’ve been a fan of his for years now and he barely ever comes here so I knew I  _had_ to get a ticket somehow. God forbid I didn’t, you would’ve probably shot down security to get in on the day.”

Calum laughed excitedly, though it sounded somewhat hysteric, he just couldn’t contain himself. “Thank you so much! Luke, seriously, I owe you like a million puppies.”

“Hey man, your happiness is all that matters. Basically, that’s to say, just stop being so grumpy. This past week’s been a hell of a ride. You even refused  _ice cream_  man.”

Calum smiled and was about to speak but he was cut off as his phone began to ring. He moved away to answer the call and a minute or so later, he turned back to Luke. “Mate, listen, mum wants me to get back and help with the groceries or something. Thanks again Lukey! See you on Monday!” He said as he began to trek back to his house.

“Have fun meeting Ashton! I might not come on Monday though, Mikey wants to go someplace.” Luke called out before heading in the opposite direction and disappearing off into the park…

* * *

Calum was stoked. He was so fucking stoked. It was unreal; the fact that within two days he would be seeing his long-time crush, he should say love really,  _Ashton Irwin._

As much as Calum wished he could have  _something_ with Ashton, he knew it was impossible. Relationships with fans just didn’t happen, not often anyway and when they did, it usually ended badly. So really, there wasn’t much hope for him…

It doesn’t matter that he and Ashton knew each other, were close even, back in seventh grade when Calum was a shy little boy who cried when confronted or pressured.

It doesn’t matter that Ashton was the one who had taught Calum to be more courageous and to believe in himself, made him feel comfortable in his own skin.

It doesn’t matter that Calum was practically in love with a boy he hadn’t spoken to for years.

 _It doesn’t matter_  because Calum is so sure that Ashton has long forgotten him…Just like he’d forgotten the small town he’d once called his home.

Calum shook his head, he had other things to worry about right now, like what he was going to wear for the concert. He only really needed to decide on his shirt seeing as how he wore the same pair of jeans and shoes basically everywhere.

He couldn’t wear a hoodie because having to jump and stand while in that mass of girls, and possibly few boys, there’s no way he wouldn’t sweat to death. If that was possible…Who knows? In any case, he wasn’t really keen on finding out.

* * *

He hadn’t realised it but over an hour had passed by the time he had sorted through his closet on his quest to find potential shirts to wear. He currently had eight. With the passing of another half an hour, trying them on included, he had narrowed it down to either his ‘never on my mind’ shirt or his ‘santa cruz’ shirt. Not that either of them were shirts, they were tank tops actually, but that was beside the point.

Calum decided that he would just have to ask Luke tomorrow. Luke had always been good with his sense of style, not to say that Calum wasn’t but Luke was just more  _experienced?_ Calum didn’t know what to call it.

Whatever, for now he just needed to sleep. He didn’t really find the bags under his eyes all that appealing and he knows it won’t just go away in a night but hey, better to not add to it right?

His dreams  _(nightmares?)_  consisted of girls trampling on him in desperate attempts to get closer to Ashton at the concert, which when he woke up he realised was quite the realistic scenario his brain had conjured up.

He’d seen a few tweets, some girls were  _crazy,_ not normal-crazy but like  _crazy-crazy_ , about Ashton. Calum doesn’t really blame them, he just…questions their sanity from time to time.

With a shrug and a yawn, he got out of bed. He really needed to head over to Luke’s and ask him about the shirts. He would definitely be up seeing as it was already noon and Luke never slept in after eleven, unless Michael somehow convinced him to…

* * *

After about an hour (could’ve been twenty minutes but Calum got distracted) he finally made his way over to Luke’s house. Thankfully the blonde was home.

“Hey Calum! What’s up?” He asked as he ushered the Kiwi into his house. Calum walked over to the coffee table and placed his bag down. “I need your help.” He said as he pulled out the two garments.

Luke blinked; once, twice before everything clicked. “ _Oh!_ You want me to help choose?” He questioned. Calum nodded.

“Okay well no jackets cause well obviously you know…Tanks are a good choice though since the concert’s at three and it’ll be really hot then. Weather’s sunny tomorrow by the way, I thought I’d check for you.” Luke went on looking at the items of clothing before finally looking back at Calum.

“I think the ‘never on my mind’ tank seems like a good choice. Kinda ironic though.” Luke chuckled, what a joker he was. “Shut up,” Calum mumbled, heat rising to his cheeks, “and thanks. Means a lot.”

The blonde only grinned and offered Calum a soft-drink, which he politely declined. “I gotta get home and do  _stuff_.”

By ‘stuff’ Calum meant listening to all of Ashton’s songs in one go, trying his now-set-up outfit on and taking a few selfies (by few he meant  _a lot_ ). So yeah, you could say his day was pretty packed.

“Riiiight ‘stuff’.” Luke dragged out, using air quotation marks when he said ‘stuff’. How did he even figure it out? Calum shook his head, they’d been friends long enough, it probably wasn’t that hard to figure him, let alone it, out.

With a hug goodbye, Calum left Luke’s place and headed back to his own. He proceeded to go through with all that he had in mind. Before he knew it hours had passed and sleep had begun creeping up on him. Who knew taking selfies and listening to music could be so tiring?

He settled into bed that night and as tired as he was, he found it quite hard to fall asleep. He felt nervous, which was weird, but he also felt a sort of elation. He was finally going to see Ashton again. He really hoped everything would go fine.

He wasn’t sure  _how_ Luke had done it but he’d managed to snag a ticket that included the meet and greet and by God, Calum was beyond ecstatic. He would get to speak to Ashton! Who knows, maybe, by some miracle, maybe Ashton would remember him…

With thoughts like those drifting around aimlessly in his mind, his body soon succumbed to sleep though his mind remained restless.

* * *

When Calum awoke the next morning, he fell into a panic. He was actually going to meet Ashton today.  _Holy fucking shit._

It felt kind of unreal how everything was falling into place. A week ago he would have never thought he’d see Ashton, the boy he’d loved for years, in concert. The world, or Luke really, worked in amazing ways.

Calum decided that, instead of traipsing into matters that were too deep for him to handle right now, he should simply get out of bed and get dressed because the concert was in four hours. Wait. Four hours?

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. I  _need_ to hurry.” Calum muttered to himself as he made a mad dash towards the bathroom. After showering and all, he exited the bathroom and grabbed his clothes that he’d laid out on his table the previous night and began to put on his carefully selected articles of clothing.

He made sure to put a lot of deodorant on because he did  _not_ want to smell more than he had to. Within thirty minutes, he was dressed and ready to go. Glancing at his phone, he realised that he still had about two and a half hours left till the concert.

 _Being early is always a good thing_ , he told himself as he entered his car.

Calum was contemplating calling Luke before leaving but the decision was made for him as his phone began to vibrate. He selected the ‘speaker’ option before starting his car and pulling out of his driveway.

“Caaaaal you ready?”

“Hey Luke, yeah I’m heading out now.”

“Wow but hey the early bird gets the worm!..or the Ashton? The early Calum gets the Ashton? The super-coolly dressed Calum gets the mighty lame Ashton? Heh, I’m kidding!” Luke rambled on and Calum couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s ridiculousness.

“Hold on a sec, roundabout.” Calum paused, noting where he was. He was only about another ten minutes away from the venue.

“…Okay we’re cool. Anyways, is Michael over?”

Luke giggled over the line as Calum heard a grumbled, “Fuck off Calum. You and your concert, it’s too early for this…”

“Michael it’s already past twelve.” Calum heard Luke reply as what seemed like a quiet slapping noise resounded in the background.

“Whoa guys no need to get your spanking kink out this early.” Calum joked as he ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t sound like it but God was he nervous. A collective ‘shut up’ came from the duo on the other line and Calum could only laugh in response.

“Anyways Calum, have fun at the concert! Don’t get run over by fangirls! Stay safe, bye!”

“Don’t forget to use protection!” Came Michael’s snarky comment. Calum heard Luke slap Michael again and then the line went dead. Those two were really something else…

Within moments, though it was really minutes, Calum had ended up in a parking spot about a two minute walk from the venue and he was hoping,  _praying_ , that no one would break into his car. Stuff like that happened a lot at concerts and he really hoped it wouldn’t happen to him.

Up until this point it never had but then again, he’d only gotten his own car and licence around a year and a half ago and within that time span he’d only gone to two concerts, one of which he’d used public transport to get to  _so…_

* * *

The black haired boy pulled out his phone and checked the time for the thousandth time, 2:25pm. In five minutes they’d be letting people in and Calum was having troubling containing himself at this point.

He hadn’t really spoken to anyone while waiting in the line (he was about fifteenth or so from the first person) instead he had chosen to go on his phone. He had texted Luke and Michael a few times as well as his mum who was beyond happy for Calum.

Calum couldn’t really believe it, in fact he didn’t really believe it at all as he was allowed to walk into the venue and ended up in the first row.  _Nobody_ , absolutely nobody was going to take this spot away from him.

He had trouble breathing when he saw Ashton run onto the stage, loud cheers erupting from the crowd and himself, though he couldn’t really register it.

Ashton looked so  _different._ Curly blonde locks falling over the red bandanna Calum had given him as a gift years ago.

Calum’s heart stopped. That bandanna. It couldn’t be…

“How are you all doing on this fine day?! Good I hope?” Ashton spoke into the microphone and God it felt good to hear his voice again, in real life.

Calum thought he could die now and be happy as cliché as it sounded but he couldn’t control the spillage of his emotions. He was just so unbelievably happy.

After some talking, Ashton began playing the first song on the set-list. The girls around Calum shuffled and jumped to the beat and he winced as one of them accidentally elbowed him in the ribs.

He ignored the slight pain and sang along to the song instead. The girls surrounding him turned to him for a moment, one of them shouting, “You’re a really good singer!” Calum blushed and shouted back a thank you. It was kind of hard to hear over everyone else’s yells and collective singing.

The concert went on and Calum continued to blatantly stare longingly at the boy a few metres away from him, they hadn’t made eye-contact yet, unfortunately, but being this close was enough.

Maybe fate was smiling upon him? Maybe someone was listening in on his hopes because within minutes, Ashton was staring straight at him. The blonde nearly dropped the microphone, lucky for him he wasn’t singing anything at that moment.

“Calum?” He said into the microphone and Calum felt his world collapse around him. Had Ashton just said his name? Or was he imagining things? Maybe he should have consumed more water before the concert…

“Pup?” He asked again, pointing to Calum. The girls pushed him forward with a cheer, “You know him?!” They asked in glee but Calum couldn’t reply. His mouth, as well as his brain, had gone slack.

Somehow when Calum came to, he had been hauled up onto stage and was currently standing beside Ashton. “Whoa guys! This is so cool! This boy here, Calum, is my friend from primary school. He’s the one who encouraged me to sing more! Like without him, I wouldn’t even be here today.”

The crowd was  _screaming_  and Calum couldn’t believe it. He’d forgotten that he was the one who’d told Ashton so many times to sing and perform more. He really had. He thought Ashton had simply forgotten about him.

Ashton handed the microphone over to Calum, whispering into his ear, “Introduce yourself to them. We’ll catch up in private later okay?” Calum could only nod before swallowing thickly and staring at the crowd in front of him.

“I-Uh…I’m Calum and I met Ashton in seventh grade. And well as you can tell I’m a big fan of his music just like you guys. I-I’m not all too sure what to say now-“ The crowd let out a joint laugh and it made Calum feel a bit better to see everyone smiling. “Uhm…Let’s have some fun?”

Calum stumbled over his words but he thought it was a pretty extraordinary effort on his part seeing as how Ashton’s arm was snug around his shoulders and he could barely even concentrate when Ashton was simply  _looking_ at him.

The concert went on, Calum requesting to go back into the crowd as he was feeling way too many people’s eyes on him when he was up on stage with Ashton. He felt more comfortable in the crowd because nobody really looked at him, they all focused on Ashton.

Throughout the performance Calum and Ashton shared a few looks, all of which made Calum want to sink into the Earth in the best sort of way. Calum thought, absentmindedly, that sometimes his analogies made absolutely no sense. He probably picked them up from that idiot Luke. Yeah, he definitely did…

* * *

Soon enough the concert ended and the meet and greet rolled around and Calum stood in line as he waited for it to be his turn. Just because he was Ashton’s friend didn’t mean he would let himself go first, that wouldn’t be fair to the other people there.

So he waited, and waited, until it was finally his turn to go up to Ashton. The blonde grinned and opened his arms, inviting Calum in for a hug which he greatly reciprocated. “Can I get a picture?” They younger asked as he fished out his phone.

“’Course you can Pup.” Calum hadn’t heard Ashton use that nickname in a  _long_ time and it made his heart fill with joy. Ashton really hadn’t forgotten him like he originally thought. It made him feel warm.

Calum outstretched his hand and snapped a photo of them together pulling a silly face. He thought it was cute. It’d probably become more memorable in the near future.

Ashton chuckled as he saw the photo and leaned closer to Calum’s ear, “Hey, just head to the back of the stage and wait there alright? I’ll be with you in about probably fifteen minutes.”

Calum smiled, “Yeah okay. Take your time Ash.” He said softly before waving and walking away. He pulled out his phone and looked at the photo again. This was incredible.  _Ashton_  was incredible.

Watching him perform live was so different compared to watching a recording of him. Calum felt extremely good right about now, he felt sort of high in a sense. It felt as if he were floating on cloud nine or ten or eleven, however far the clouds went on for anyway.

Silly thoughts continued to consume his mind as he waited for Ashton to return. A little over twenty-five minutes later the blonde came stumbling up the stairs; exclaiming ‘sorry’ more times than Calum could count.

“It’s fine!” He insisted, standing up.

“I just-sorry. I didn’t want to rush the fans.” Ashton said as he looked to the floor. Calum’s heart swelled with pride, “That’s awesome Ash. Always put the fans first.”

“Uhm so you wanna go grab something to eat?” He started and Calum nodded, mumbling a ‘yeah, that’d be good’.

Calum followed Ashton to the tour bus, which caused Calum to be mildly confused. There was no way they’d be able to get around using _that_ without causing a ruckus…

“Stay here for a second.” The blonde mumbled before disappearing into the bus only to reappear a minute later with his wallet and phone in hand.

“Is Maccas okay?” Ashton asked as they began walking. “Yeah-Anything’s fine really.” Calum replied, he still had a slight stutter but it didn’t matter too much.

“So how’ve you been? Touring and all?” He started, eyes fixated on the road ahead and the darkening sky above.

“Hectic but pretty cool. Missed you, didn’t think I’d ever get to see you again. I thought you would have forgotten me…”

Calum’s heart was beating out of his chest now, surely this wasn’t good for his health. “I thought the same. Is-uhm-the bandanna…Is it the one I gave you?” His voice sounded small, even to his ears, but he just really wanted to know. Part of him was scared that he would embarrass himself if it wasn’t actually his; he ignored that part of him.

Ashton let out a small huff of laughter, “Yeah it is! Can’t believe you remember it.” He spoke, voice full of wonder. Calum couldn’t stop the grin that made its way onto his face, “How could I ever forget?”

* * *

They continued to converse long after they finished their meal and Calum had no idea that Ashton had thought of him for so long. He thought that it had been hopeless from the start but now? Now it seemed like there was hope. A small sliver but it was a chance none-the-less.

“Ash?”

“Yeah Pup?”

“How long will you be staying?”

“However long you want me to…”

“Don’t make jokes like that, please. I-”

“It’s not a joke. I’m being serious Calum. If you want me to stay, I’ll stay.”

Calum felt the tears welling up in his eyes, the sensation of his tear-ducts overflowing was something he’d been hoping to prevent from happening the whole day but in the end it just didn’t work out.

Within a second, Calum felt arms wrap around him and he was pulled into a warm chest, a hand running down his back in soothing motions.

“You- _You…Why did you leave me behind?_ You just left at the start of year eight and I. I missed you so much. Why did you take so long to come back?” Calum choked out all at once, face buried in the crook of Ashton’s neck.

“I had to…My parents made me. I really wanted to stay. You were like the coolest person I’d met. I admired you so much and you were so nice.” Ashton started as he ran his fingers through black locks of hair.

“Nobody wanted me to pursue music but you told me I should and I was so happy when you said it…After I left I never heard from you and like three years down the line I tried contacting you on Facebook, tried to find you somehow, but I just couldn’t find you anywhere. And then before I knew it even more years had passed and by then I’d just assumed that you moved on with your life, that you’d forgot all about me…”

Calum moved back a little and stared up at Ashton, somewhat shell-shocked, yet with a sudden burst of courage Calum pressed forward and kissed him. He kissed the boy he’d loved for years and it felt  _so,_ so good.

If he were standing, his legs would have definitely given out beneath him. And when Ashton kissed him back, Calum thought he just might collapse.

He felt as if this moment was perfect. It didn’t matter if his eyes were red and puffy or that he had a bit of snot running down his nose. The moment, in itself, was simply perfect.

Ashton pulled back and smiled softly at the younger boy, “We should hang out more often.”

Calum giggled at the comment and snuggled back into Ashton’s side, “I’d like that. I really would.” He mumbled, the tingling sensation was still fresh on his lips and the butterflies were just about ready to erupt out of his stomach…

They sat with each other for what seemed like forever, talking about anything and everything. Reminiscing about memories that had long come to pass and as they finally elapsed into a lingering silence, Ashton began to sing.

 _Tranquil,_ Calum thought,  _his voice is always such a melody…_

“ _Frost on the windowpane, oh why does it still rain? When will I come back home? I’m waiting on your call. Always waiting on your call. Oh, won’t you ever call? Frost on the windowpane, wipe all my sorrows away…_ ” Ashton sang softly as he and Calum gazed at the night sky.

Calum turned to Ashton, as if finally making the connection, “’Frosted Panes’? Did…Was that about..?” He trailed off, he wasn’t all too sure of himself but the way Ashton had sung it, it had to have been…

“Yeah, it’s about you, well me and you.”

“It’s one of my all time favourites you know. It always made me think about us. No matter how saddening it was at the time.” Ashton nodded in agreement; he’d written the song when he missed Calum so much that it hurt, he was glad the feeling was mutual…

They sat in silence for a moment longer as Calum fiddled with his fingers before finally grasping Ashton’s larger hand and entwining their fingers. The feeling was exhilarating and Calum wished he could hold Ashton’s hand forever.

Ashton smiled, squeezing Calum’s hand while keeping his eyes affixed on the horizon.

“Don’t go. Stay with me. I want you to stay.” Calum spoke softly, almost too scared to voice his thoughts.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay with you forever.” Ashton responded and it was more than enough for Calum. If anything else were to come his way he would deal with it later but for now…For now he’d enjoy the feeling of security and warmth that could only come from being in Ashton’s arms.

 

**Author's Note:**

> ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ kik me if you want: shmu.


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